Over the past handful of seasons around the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh football facilities, it’s become the mantra for seven days every fall. It’s the precursor to a Saturday game against the gold standard of NCAA Division III football.

As much as the routine of the preparation is the same as every week, the mindset is different. There is that little added energy on the practice field, that heightened attentiveness during position meetings and that extra five or ten minutes spent watching one more snippet of film.

Whitewater week.

“I think everybody is in here doing a little extra, lifting a little harder, watching a little more film,” senior wide receiver Zach Kasuboski said. “They’ve obviously proven they have been the best program in the nation. We want to be where they are at.”

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The two powers in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference collide at noon today on J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium in an NCAA Division III national quarterfinal. The winner advances to a likely showdown with Mount Union next weekend, with a spot in the Stagg Bowl on the line.

It marks just the third time that two WIAC schools have meet in the NCAA Division III playoffs and the first time since 2006 when Whitewater beat UW-La Crosse in a second-round game.

It’s natural for the intensity to ratchet up a few notches each round of the postseason but adding a rivalry element to the equation should make for an intense week of preparation.

“Obviously everything is amped up a little bit because you are another round in the playoffs,” junior linebacker Kevin MacCudden said. “It makes everything a little more amped up because we know them and it’s a rivalry game.”

The Titans have made just once NCAA national quarterfinal appearance, winning a dramatic overtime battle, 31-24, against Linfield in 2012.

The Warhawks, on the other hand, have made reaching this level of the postseason as routine as Homecoming or Parents Day. Whitewater has reached the quarterfinals every season but one since 2005 and boast a roster full of playoff experience.

“(The experience) is definitely huge for them. With what their program has established at Whitewater, they just expect to play 15 games a season and they know that’s what they are working for,” MacCudden said. “They are all experienced and they know how to play in big games. For them it’s just another week.”

Yet, for all of Whitewater’s dominance, the Titans have proven to be somewhat kryptonite-esque for the Warhawks.

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The two teams have split the last four meetings — half of Whitewater’s losses since 2009 — including the Titans’ 10-7 win this season in a game where UWO had its top two quarterbacks knocked out of the game because of injury.

Being able to chalk up wins against the nation’s best doesn’t necessarily take away the luster of the Warhawks’ accomplishments, but rather shows how far the Titans’ program has come.

“When we couldn’t finish the game healthy and we still beat them, it kind of gave us a little more confidence. It showed us they are mortal, they can lose and it’s just motivating us,” senior defensive lineman Trevor Fiegel said. “We have all of the pieces clicking, everybody’s healthy, so it’s just even more exciting.”

In other words, the power of intimidation Whitewater may hold over most teams simply doesn’t apply to the Titans.

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“It used to be, when they got off the bus, they were up 14-0 before the game even started,” UWO coach Pat Cerroni said. “We’re the only team in the country that’s beaten them in the last three years so I don’t think they are going to be up 14-0.”

There is no doubt Whitewater still has a certain aura about them. The Warhawks are still two-time defending champions, have won six national titles overall and have appeared in the NCAA Division III title game nine times since 2005.

But there is a difference between being awestruck and having a healthy respect for an opponent. The first made leave a team figuring a victory is out of the question, but the second usually generates a hunger to pull out a victory.

“The team just dials in a lot easier when its Whitewater,” senior offensive lineman Josh Tice said. “We all try to bring the same intensity every week, it’s hard to say that we aren’t going to bring it against Whitewater.

“We know how they are going to play, they know how we’re going to play, so it’s just a fun time to be around.”

Cameron Brown (14) of UW-Oshkosh attempts to make a tackle on ball carrier Devon Price (3) of Ohio Northern at Titan Stadium in the NCAA second round playoff game on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Cameron Brown (14) of UW-Oshkosh runs back a turnover during Saturday's game against Ohio Northern at Titan Stadium in the NCAA second round playoffs on November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Zach Kasuboski (7) of UW-Oshkosh runs the ball wide during the NCAA second round playoff game against Ohio Northern on J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Nor

Nick Boyd (9) of UW-Oshkosh runs down Ohio Northern quarterback Ricardo Johnson (1) on a keeper playing on J.J. Keller Field of Titan Stadium in a NCAA second round playoff game on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Cameron Brown (14) of UW-Oshkosh picks off a pass intended for Ohio Northern's Bert Marks (15) in the fourth quarter of the game on J.J. Keller Field of Titan Stadium in a NCAA second round playoff game on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Nor

Nick Boyd (9) of UW-Oshkosh takes down Ohio Northern quarterback Ricardo Johnson (1) on a keeper playing on J.J. Keller Field of Titan Stadium in a NCAA second round playoff game on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

CJ Blackburn (6) of UW-Oshkosh runs in a late in the game touchdown against Ohio Northern playing on J.J. Keller Field of Titan Stadium in a NCAA second round playoff game on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Craig Schommer (3) celebrates his third quarter touchdown with quarterback Brett Kasper (12) playing in the second round of the NCAA playoff game against Ohio Northern on Saturday, November 28, 2015, on J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Nor

Gerald Bester II (56) runs down Ricardo Johnson (1) on a quarterback sack during the Saturday NCAA second round playoff game on J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium on November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Pat Cerroni, UW-Oshkosh head coach, talks with players Branden Lloyd (44) and Trevor Fiegel (96) at the end of the first half of the NCAA second round playoff game against Ohio Northern on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Nor

Dylan Hecker (4) of UW-Oshkosh fends off Ohio Northern defense making a run during the NCAA second round playoff game at Titan Stadium on Saturday, November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Austin Tomaz (83) of UW-Oshkosh and other players walk to the locker room for the half during the Saturday's NCAA second round playoff game against Ohio Northern on November 28, 2015. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

Cole Yoder (33) of UW-Oshkosh faces off with Ohio Northern's Christian Randolph (13) playing in the NCAA second round playoff game on Saturday, November 28, 2015, at Titan Stadium. Jeannette Merten/For Oshkosh Northwestern Media

“We just have to our jobs. We do our job every play, we can get it done,” Kasuboski said. “I know they are going to come out hard and we’re going to come out, it’s just who is going to want it more. I think this might be the biggest game in WIAC history.”

A perfect way to cap the week. Whitewater week.

“We know what we’re in for and we know what we’re about. We know we’re a good football team and we know we are going to ready to play,” Cerroni said. “They can be excited to come play us again and it’s redemption and it’s all of those words they can spit out, but the reality is they have to come in here and beat us. It may happen, but not without a fight.